I must begin by saying that yesterday was a beautiful day here in South Louisiana! It has been so very hot and humid through the summer. However yesterday the Lord showed us favor and gave us a beautiful cool day! It is finally beginning to feel like fall! What a blessing and wonder it is to see how the Lord works through His entire creation.
The Lord has been speaking to my heart about “motives” for which I do something. As a little girl and a young woman my motivations were centered around serving myself. If I was thinking of doing something nice for someone I always had in the back of my mind, “what was I going to get out of it?”. Having since re-dedicated my life to the Lord about 3 years ago, my “motives” for doing things have changed. Each day I want to really bless the Lord with every detail of my life. As I sat in church yesterday intensely trying to soak in every word my Pastor spoke, I finally got it! We are in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Paul is speaking to the church in Corinth on this very issue of “motives”.
Every person who surrenders their life to Christ has taken on a whole new life! We are now to be imitators of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1) So with each step or move we make we really should be examining our hearts to make sure that our motives are in likeness to Christ's. I will give you an example.
I lived in Italy for a few months before I re-dedicated my life to the Lord. I developed an appreciation for wine. In my new life in Christ, that appreciation has not changed. I still like to have a glass of wine from time to time. However, within the past few months I have cut it out of my life completely. Is having a glass of wine with a meal or with my husband at a restaurant a sin? For some it is not, for me however it is. You see, in my past life, the “old Crystal”, had issues with alcohol. It became an addiction of sorts, a way of escaping pain so to speak. I have found that alcohol, even a small glass of wine for me is a weakness and has the potential of causing me to stumble. So I do not drink wine, or any other alcoholic beverage, nor do I allow it in my home. I also will not attend functions where alcohol is served. For some this may seem a bit drastic, but for me it is a way of guarding my heart.
I have also learned that it can be a stumbling block for others who may see me drinking it. THAT is the number one reason I have stopped having wine. I have a heart for the lost, and those who are seeking or weak in their faith. I don't want my “liberties in Christ”, to cause someone of a weaker faith to stumble.
Another example of this is being a stay at home wife and mother. My husband and I strongly believe that if I go get a job to help supplement his income, then we are in conflict with what the Lord spoke to us through His Word and essentially sinning. We both understand that for some other family, this may not be the case. The Lord has always provided for our family and we trust and have faith that He always will. Each part of my life is a testament to Christ. My husband and I seek to honor and please the Lord in all we do. Scripture tells us that the only way to please the Lord is through faith. He is the one who gives to each man a measure of faith. So God even gets the credit for my having faith in Him! I pray that today as you go about your daily life that you will be mindful of those around you. Let us seek not to serve ourselves but look out for the good of our neighbors. Let us be imitators of Christ in every part of our lives, even those parts that are kept in secret.
I leave you today with a passage from 1 Corinthians 10:23 through chapter 11:1---
“23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. 25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience' sake; 26 FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS. 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience' sake. 28 But if anyone says to you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake; 29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? 31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.
1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”
Serving God and My Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)
5 comments:
As I have said so often, it is hard for all of us to find the balance in life. Each of us knows some of our own weaknesses and where we are more likely to be tempted and we do need to set guards in place where we know we are weak. Christ's first miracle was at the wedding in Cana where he turned water into wine. So we know it is not wrong for all to drink wine and He wouldn't have done something to hurt others. However each of us need to study our own weak areas and "if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into heal."(matt5:30). So again we need to know ourselves and deal with the weak areas in earnest, but at the same time we can not legislate to others things where we are given freedom in the Scriptures and by Christ's examples or we would become like Pharasees (I can't spell!!)--so balance it is---thanks for sharing your thoughts. I was able to be a stay at home mom and the blessings are very rich!!
not heal but hell--I made a typo in quoting matt
Thank you SO MUCH Crystal....your blog today has yet been another confirmation to me. Thank you for letting God speak through you! HAve a wonderfully blessed week, my dear, dear sister.
Sincerely, Thia
Hello! *smile*
You shared, (some good stuff)
Every person who surrenders their life to Christ has taken on a whole new life! We are now to be imitators of Christ
With the new nature He births into us, comes the desires to like Christ because that is exactly Who He is forming us into; into the image of His Son. With obedience and by the encouragement of the Spirit within, we will lean toward good works as our spiritual fruits begin to grow through His power. It will be a natural thing to imitate Christ because you have a new nature; one from above. That's what they refer to as taking off the old man and putting on the new man. Of course, we don't do it, we just receive it. But in a sense, we have adorned Christ.
How thrilling to see the joy you have to obey His prompting to serve. He is giving you the heart of a servant. WoW! How cool is that!
you shared,
"I still like to have a glass of wine from time to time. However, within the past few months I have cut it out of my life completely. Is having a glass of wine with a meal or with my husband at a restaurant a sin? For some it is not, for me however it is. You see, in my past life, the “old Crystal”, had issues with alcohol."
Understood. I think I'm like you in this sense of staying away from alchol. And you know, the longer we walk with God the more He weeds from our lives even the smallest details that may not be like Christ as much as He desires. I wonder if it's like maybe His way of sweeping even the cobwebs from the corners of our hearts.
As for staying home with the kids...again, I agree. We made that decision too because we felt that's what God wanted. And we could do that. Unforunately, some are single moms and not of their own doings. So bless those ladies who are forced to have to divide their time like that. But for us, we were willing to live very thrifty during that time. The really cool thing is, we never seem to be without. Or maybe we didn't notice. Who cares, we were happy little campers with our two children and home. Bless God!
Such a pleasure to meet you. Please come and visit me sometime.
This blog has really encouraged me today. It's just what I needed to confirm what i've been feeling.
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